Paper Flowers
by Ice Master Princess
Summary: ...His face was so beautiful, so white and delicate, Shuichi immediately thought of a paper flower. Elegant and delicate... AU, shounanai, ShuichiYomi.


A/N: Thanks, Jen. You unknowingly gave me the inspiration to write this fic. This is totally AU so please don't flame me for it. Everyone is the same age and in highschool. (I also modified the uniforms). Also, Kurama is not a demon, he is a human who can sense if people are demons, like Kuwabarra. If you don't like AU highschool fics, don't read. If you don't like shounan-ai, don't read. This is a Kurama/Yomi centric fic. However, if neither concept bothers you, please stick around and read. Also kindly hit the review button at the end and tell me what you thought. Thanks!

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Sunlight filtered through the open window as a chilly blast of cold October air tossed the curtains around. The light landed on a headful of silky crimson hair. The boy on the bed groaned and lifted his pillow to his face in protest. He did not want to get up.

"Shuichi?". His mother's voice. He knew there was no delaying it any longer. He had to go to school, even if he didn't feel like going. Shuichi sighed and tossed the comforters off. He swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"It's allright, mother. I'm up", he called. His mother responded by telling him breakfast was on the table. Shuichi heard her walk away and sighed. He glanced at his face in the mirror. Striking green eyes stared back at him. He really was a lady-killer, he mussed to himself. His long, luscious red hair spilled over his shoulders to about the middle of his back. His skin was lightly tanned. Yeah, it was no wonder all the girls ran at him screaming and drooling. Often times he felt like he was a piece of meat floating in a sea of hungry pirranahs.

Shuichi sighed. It wasn't that he was vain about his looks and didn't think the girls were worthy of his affection. It was just he wasn't sure what kind of person he was looking for. What he wanted in a relationship. He didn't want to date one of his classmates and then break her heart when he realized she wasn't his type. So he avoided them while trying to remain polite. Shuichi slipped on his freshly-pressed white shirt and tucked it into his blue pants. Then he put on his tie and made sure it was straight. He decided to skip breakfast and just go to school. He wasn't very hungry anyway.

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"Wahhhhhhhh! SHUICHI! OVER HERE, SHUICHI!"

"AHHHHH! IT'S HIM! IT REALLY IS MINAMINO"

"HE'S SO CUTE!"

Shuichi kept walking, trying desprately to ignore the fact that he had girls latched to his arms. Girls clawing at him. Girls who were dangerously close to ripping chunks out of his uniform.

"Hey. Shuichi".

He looked up as a boy wearing a uniform similar to his, only with green pants and tie, came running up to him. Immediately, the girls backed away from Shuichi. The were afraid of the boy.

"Hello, Yusuke", Shuichi greeted his friend. Yusuke's slicked-back black hair glinted slightly green in the sunlight.

"Kuwabarra's in the hospital", Yusuke said, pulling a muffin out of his backpack and proceeding to eat it.

Shuichi blinked. "Hospital?"

"Yeah. Hiei found out Kuwabarra was dating Yukina. He didn't like it very much..."

"Oh, boy..."

Yusuke stuffed the rest of the muffin in his mouth. "Yeah. He might not have suffered the broken ribs if he hadn't called Hiei a shrimp".

Shuichi sighed. "Are you staying at school today?"

"Hell no! I came to tell you 'cause Kuwabarra's screaming that he just got himself caught up, Shiziru will kill him if he falls behind again".

Shuichi sighed again. "Ok. I'll get his work and bring it to the hospital after school."

"Thanks, Shuichi!", Yusuke called, breaking into a run.

"Uhh...Yusuke! Wait!", Shuichi called after his dark-haired friend. Yusuke didn't slow down.

"So much for him telling me the room number...", Shuichi murmured and walked into the school building.

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Shuichi gathered Kuwabarra's class work when school let out and hurried to the hospital. He went the long way to avoid too many girls jumping on him proposing marriage.

"Excuse me, Miss", Shuichi asked the young receptionist at the desk. "Can you tell me what room Kazuma Kuwabarra is in?".

The nurse beamed at him. "Kuwabarra...Kuwabarra..." she murmured, looking up Kuwabarra's room number.

"Ah, yes. He's in room 402, second floor. But he might not be in there. He has X-Rays schedualed for this afternoon"

"Thank you", Shuichi told her, picking the books up off the counter and walking towards the elevator.

"Room 402", Shuichi repeated to himself. "Aha. Here we are". He opened the door and peeked in. A curtain divided the room into two. The first bed was empty.

Shuichi shrugged and walked in anyway. "Kuwabarra", he called softly. No reply. Maybe Kuwabarra was sleeping in the bed behind the curtain. Shuichi crept to the curtain so as not to wake up Kuwabarra and slowly pushed it back. He gasped unvoluntarilly. The boy in the bed certainly was not Kuwabarra.

He was tall like Kuwabarra, but far fairer in appearance. His face was so beautiful, so white and delicate, Shuichi immediately thought of a paper flower. Elegant and delicate. Just like the pale hands clutching at his blanket. He was asleep, his face scrunched up as though he were either in pain or having a bad dream. Sweat glistened on his brow. Slowly, without really knowing why, Shuichi crept towards the boy's bed. With all the gentleness of a kind-hearted matron Shuichi brushed soft, silky strands of long black hair off the pale white skin. The boy's flesh burned with fever, and closer up, he could see a slight flush on the boy's cheeks.

"Who are you?", the boy demanded, grasping Shuichi's wrist. He did not open his eyes.

"I'm sorry...you looked uncomfortable...I came to visit a friend of mine who is sharing your room", Shuichi whispered. He was blushing like a cherry, feeling ashamed that he found this boy so stunningly attractive.

The boy let go of his wrist. "Oh. You startled me. Sorry if I hurt you"

Shuichi rubbed his wrist. "No, I'm fine", he lied. The boy had hurt him-but he wasn't about to tell him that. "I'll just wait for my friend to get back now..." He sank into a chair, not saying anything else to the boy.

"You can watch the TV if you want", the boy told him. "I don't mind"

"That's very kind of you. Are you sure you won't mind?"

"Nah", the boy replied. "I'm blind. I can't see the television"

Shuichi was taken aback. Blind? Well, that explained why the boy's eyes were closed.

"Thank you...eh..."

"Yomi". Yomi reached up and tucked a strand of his black hair behind his ear.

Shuichi did the same with his own long red hair. "So, why are you in the hospital?"

"I'll be going home soon. As soon as my fever breaks now that the bandages are off. I lost my eye sight during a chemistry prank...the idiot didn't know it would explode in my face...The doctors don't think I will ever be able to see again"

"That's awful!", Shuichi exclaimed

Yomi smiled slightly. "Yes. But it has made me realize how much I took for granted. I'll be going home changed, and definately for the better". Yomi leaned back against his pillows and pulled the blankets back up to his chin.

Shuichi stared at Yomi, mesmerized. Seeing good in such a tragedy...it made him wonder. Wonder if he would be so forgiving, so calm and serene, if their places were switched and he were the one blinded in a hospital bed.

"Hey, Yomi?", Shuichi started. He wanted to know why Yomi said he'd be going home changed for the better.

No response.

Shuichi looked at the boy on the bed. Yomi appeared to have fallen back asleep.

Shuichi smiled. He couldn't explain it, but he felt a closeness to Yomi. A feeling on kinship.

"Shuichi!". Kuwabarra's voice cut through Shuichi's thoughts.

Shuichi glanced back at Yomi, who thankfully had not been awakened by Kuwabarra's loud mouth. Carefully, Shuichi pulled the curtain back to block the sleeping boy from view and smiled at Kuwabarra.

"I brought your homework for you..."

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Please R&R!


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